Were These Three Indiana Restaurants Cursed by Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives?

Guy Fieri has been filming episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives since 2007. This is the original Guy Fieri show that began after he won The Next Food Network Star in 2006. Triple D is now in its 37th season. That is a lot of restaurants featured, a lot of plates sampled, and a lot of pressure on chefs.

Indiana Has Been Featured 9 Times on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives

Okay, only nine restaurants have been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. How is that possible? Something is wrong with that. We actually have a list of local spots that we think should be featured from Southern Indiana, since these are all from the Northern part of the state.

Why Some Restaurants Close After Appearing on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives

Some call it the curse of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Several restaurants close after they are featured on The Food Network, but each situation is different. The Triple D effect brings huge crowds to restaurants that are featured on Guy Fieri's show on The Food Network.

Guy encourages restaurant owners to be prepared for the out-of-bounds increase in sales. Guy takes his job seriously, "It's a huge responsibility. One owner told me it changed the economic profile of his family."

Zest! Exciting Food Creations - Indianapolis

Zest! Exciting Food Creations was featured in season 12 of Triple D, episode 'Bar Food and Bon Bons'. That episode aired in 2011. In a 2015 interview with the Indy Star, owner Valerie Vanderpool said they stayed very busy on the weekends, but through the week, sales were down.

"It's just hard to survive on two days a week." - Valerie Vanderpool on Zest! closing

Jersey's Cafe - Carmel

Jersey's Cafe was located in Carmel, IN, and featured in season 11 of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Jersey's lunch business was affected by road construction. It's really a sad story, according to a 2015 Carmel-area publication CURRENT, the owners were looking into a new location because the U.S. 31 construction was costing them thousands of dollars. When their landlord found out, he cut their lease short before the new location was secured.

The Barking Dog Cafe - Indianapolis

This dog-friendly cafe was also known for its amazing tomato jam. 'Signature twists' is the episode to see what The Barking Dog had to offer. This is another heartbreaking story of a landlord disagreement. Owners Jeff and Mary Beth Gahimer told IBJ.com that after nine years of giving doggies a free plate, they would not be renewing their lease. They were going to be required to sign a long-term agreement, and that wasn't something they wanted.

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